


We can keep it low, we can take it slow.

by amateurish



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Cute, Fluff and Smut, Fuckin' Fluffy Mondays, M/M, Slow Romance, Sweet, markson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-18 08:54:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15482196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amateurish/pseuds/amateurish
Summary: Mark's whipped for his colleague who isn't gay, doesn't like one night stands and cuddling.





	We can keep it low, we can take it slow.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PrincessWang](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessWang/gifts), [marksondaejae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/marksondaejae/gifts).



> Indulgent fic. I literally am posting it without reading it. I am sure i have made a few mistakes and that it could have been much better and crispier but, you guys, I am just so occupied. I am sorry. This is totally self-indulgent because a shy Jackson does things to my heart. Please leave a lot of comments if you like it.

Mark had had enough. He was going to jump Jackson. He was so done with the boy flaunting his perfection in his face every fucking day that now his dick had a mind of its own. He decided that he was going to get Jackson alone, corner him into confessing why he was playing such dirty games with him and get him to accept his intentions.

It had all started on a fateful Sunday night when everyone had gone out for stress relief after their work deadlines were met. As colleagues, Mark and Jackson were in the same boat, being pushed and pulled by their boss and constantly trying to meet his expectations.

They had had one too many shots after which Jinyoung and Jaebeom had taken off to “get some air”. Mark had sighed because he felt that he was the only one in their group who wasn’t getting any.

He had hailed a cab for him and Jackson. The younger was too drunk to go home alone so Mark, trying to maintain his sanity, had volunteered to drop him. When Jackson had finally gotten inside his house, he had started to undress and giggle. Mark didn’t know what the hell was happening because his mind was too fuzzy.

“We are the only people not getting laid in our entire production unit! What the fuck, Mark!” he whined and unbuttoned his shirt.

Mark nodded weakly, his head (which one?) throbbed a bit as he looked at Jackson in a tank top scratching his own belly. So sexy.

“You think we should do something about it? May be get some chicks to go on double dates or something?” the younger crashed on the couch and gestured him to come closer.

“Hmmm...” Mark still stared at the boy’s arms and his slowly rising and falling chest. Mark had a thing for soft skin and Jackson’s was definitely too soft, even to look at.

He gulped. He thought that his drunk mind was giving him ideas.

“Crash here, okay? I feel like puking, shit,” Jackson had groggily got up and made his way to the bathroom. Mark had crashed on the couch which smelled eerily like Jackson. He had never been able to look at Jackson the same again.

The lil shit kept on tempting him. He didn’t know if it was on purpose or not but Jackson had a penchant of giving him a hard on in the middle of the day by just bending over his table to look into his computer screen. Sometimes he would just breathe on his neck as they stared at the screen together. He would make these little noises when he ate and particularly sucked on a chicken bone at lunch. Then he would wear these extremely tight pants that hugged his behind just right. Mark wanted to give it a good squeeze. His hands would itch to do it. Jackson, however, would behave like he was innocent and talked to him like everything was normal.

Mark’s scale tipped when one day some guy came to pick Jackson up after office. Jackson had smiled wide when he saw him and hopped happily towards him. They hugged and Mark felt a vein on his forehead pop. So someone was tapping that fine ass, huh? He grimaced as he saw the boy wound his arm around Jackson’s waist naturally. He couldn’t help but huff. Jackson had turned around to look at him before leaving and Mark thought it meant something. He knew Jackson was being a sneaky little bitch and he was in no mood to forgive.

The other day he had licked at his ice cream cone innocently as if it wasn’t taking all of Mark’s self control to not put his tongue down his throat. Mark was done, he seriously was. He wasn’t big on patience anyway.

It was only the four of them at the office, working after hours as usual when Mark just lost his mind over Jackson tucking out his shirt from his dress pants, pulling his sleeves up to his elbows and ruffling his hair to release some stress. He looked so fine that Mark felt stupid about not noticing him before.

He couldn’t concentrate when Jackson roamed around him, spewing numbers and tallying QA reports, production stats and maintenance requirements at him.

“Mark?” he called because Mark’s had his mouth open. “Hello? Earth to Mark?” Jackson laughed at the elder and that made Mark regain his lost mind.

“Sorry, what?”

“I said, according to the QA report the product couldn’t withstand high temperatures…we need to go down there to see what’s wrong! May be the material supplier is playing us or something,” he scratched his cheek and Mark gulped.

“Can I crash at your place tonight?” Mark asked abruptly and Jackson looked at him wide eyed.

“Sure. Is everything okay?”

Mark looked around, taking in Jaebeom and Jinyoung whispering at each other. “Yeah…just…Jaebeom’s gonna be with Jinyoung so…he was like, give me a night alone…and eww,” Mark sighed and looked away.

“Awww…cute. Sure thing man, come on over. You are always welcome.”

 

It was over 10 PM when they left the office in Mark’s car.

“So that friend of yours didn’t come pick you up today?” Mark asked carefully as they entered the main street.

“No. Ge has work to do. His kids are always complaining about his absence though,” Jackson sighed.

“Kids?”

“Yeah. He’s my cousin. He just moved here two months ago.”

Mark’s insides filled with butterflies. So that guy was not Jackson’s boyfriend or a fling.

“Oh, I see.” He pretended to not react. It had started raining and it looked like a thunderstorm was waiting to happen.

They bought take out on the way home and Jackson was so glad that he had cleaned the house beforehand.

Jackson got into comfortable clothes before serving dinner and Mark felt like he was going to hyperventilate looking at the younger in his pjs. They ate while watching some random show on the TV. Mark slumped on the couch, his body not co-operating. The rain was lashing out and it thundered now and then.

“Sleep properly,” Jackson whispered. Mark laid down and left some space for Jackson too.

“Cuddler much?” Jackson snorted and Mark rolled his eyes.

“It’s okay if you don’t wanna, it’s your couch, after all.” Mark shrugged. Jackson laid down beside him, literally tangling his feet with him due to lack of space. Mark felt heat pool in his stomach.

“Boss is sending me to China to meet with a new client,” he whispered and Mark hummed. He was too distracted by how the younger’s arm was brushing against his. He put his arm out to make it comfortable and Jackson made it his pillow.

Mark breathed heavily at the gesture because Jackson’s hair tickled the side of his neck.

“Why are you so quiet?”

“I am never talkative, you are,” Mark snorted. He didn’t know what to do with his other arm so he just placed it on his own stomach.

“I see…you must be tired,” Jackson spoke softly, slightly turning himself to face the elder.

“Yeah…”

“Why does it feel like you want to say something?”

Mark went quiet. It was true that Mark and Jackson hadn’t really gotten along at the beginning when they were put in the same team. But eventually Mark had come to see what an amazing person and colleague Jackson was. And now he was literally lusting after the guy.

“That day when I came to drop you home after the night at the club…” Mark whispered and dared to look at Jackson.

“What about it?”

Mark boldly brushed his fingers over Jackson’s arm. The boy didn’t react but his lips parted. He didn’t push Mark’s hand away or say anything so Mark continued stroking his arm lightly, feeling his soft skin.

“I thought you were really good looking,” Mark’s palm was now flat on Jackson’s stomach, making his intentions very clear.

“Uhh…huh,” Jackson suddenly pulled his knees closer and looked at Mark.

“You need to stop playing games with me,” Mark fidgeted with the hem of the boy’s tshirt before lifting it up a bit and touching bare skin.

“Games?” Jackson asked, still not stopping Mark from touching him.

“You tempt me every fucking day and-”

“I am not gay.”

“Does not mean you cannot tempt me.”

Mark pushed his hand inside the boy’s shirt and touched his stomach properly. Jackson shifted and held his wrist.

“What do you expect from me when you dangle yourself like that in front of me?” Mark forcibly pushed his hand up his shirt again and Jackson squeaked.

“You are mad.”

“And you are hot. What’s your point?” Mark got up and hovered over Jackson, his arm retreating from below Jackson’s head.

Jackson stared up at him, did not say a word.

“I don’t do one night stands, Mark.” He removed the arm threatening to roam on his torso.

“Okay, so you aren’t gay and you don’t do one night stands. Check. Anything else?”

“Umm…”

“Just say it,”

“I wasn’t tempting you…”

“Okay, if you say so-”

“No, really. I wasn’t. I was just flattered by your attention at times…I mean, who wouldn’t be? You are one of the most eligible bachelors in the office right now,” he finished uncomfortably. Mark stared at him and sighed.

“I am tempted and I want to…you know…”

“What?”

“Not have a one night stand with you.”

Jackson’s face gained colour at that and he looked away.

“You say you aren’t gay…” Mark asked before again touching the hem of his tshirt again and pulling it up to reveal some skin.

Jackson bit his lip and looked at him.

“Not until now…”

“Okay…so you have never…”

Jackson shook his head shyly and Mark felt his dick throb.

“Shit.” Mark pulled his shirt up enough to reveal his torso and Jackson got his arms up to cover himself. Mark tried to get him to remove them but he wouldn’t.

“What are you gonna do to me?” he whispered and Mark tickled his chin with his nose.

“I don’t know. Whatever you allow,” he said as he again tried to move his hands away.

“I am scared…” the younger whispered as Mark forcefully moved his hands away.

The elder breathed on his cheek before speaking into his ear. “Of what? Of feeling too good with a guy, so much that you won’t want to go back to being with women? Or of me?”

Jackson whimpered at the whole appeal of Mark speaking to him like that, towering over him like he knew what he was doing, suddenly oozing a dominant energy he never thought Mark possessed. He lightly pushed at the elder’s shoulders and whined.

“I…no…” he got it out in a shaky breath and Mark chuckled. He moved away but not before staring at Jackson’s exposed torso intently.  

“Do you want me to go?”

Just then the power went out. Jackson yipped and held onto Mark’s biceps tightly.

“I am here,” Mark said dumbly as he patted the boy’s hand lightly. “Where’s your phone? My battery’s dead,” he asked as he slowly scrambled to get up and sit at the edge of the couch in what little place was left. Jackson squeaked and searched for him in the darkness, finally his hand found Mark’s sleeve. He clutched at it hard and moved in closer.

“I don’t know where I put it. It must be here somewhere,” he spoke hurriedly, holding onto Mark, moving in his spot uncomfortably.

“Afraid of the dark?”

Jackson made a distressed sound and Mark put his arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer. Jackson complied readily, not trying to do anything about being tucked under his chin. In fact he put an arm around Mark’s waist and sighed in relief.

“Do you have any candles?” Mark moved a bit to get up but Jackson pulled him back down and whined.

“At least try and find your phone?” Mark patted his arm but the boy just clung to him as if his life depended on it.  

“Do you want us to sit like this until the power comes back? Just…check if your phone’s around so we can find candles,” Mark rubbed his back affectionately and Jackson hummed.

Jackson pulled him with him as he moved around, trying to locate his phone. When he did, he put on the flashlight and sighed.

“Come with me, please,” Jackson whined and tugged. Mark was moving with him towards the kitchen, being pulled by the sleeve by the younger.  

When Jackson found a candle and lit it, warm glow decorated the kitchen and the boy relaxed visibly. He had let go of Mark and looked around. They were silent until Mark decided he had to speak up.

“I can leave if you want…” he whispered.

“No! It’s raining so heavily outside. I can’t let you drive in this situation. Please stay,” Jackson scratched the back of his neck. “I am glad I am not alone…power cuts freak me out,” Jackson confessed and Mark relaxed.

They went to the living room and settled on the couch again. Mark still felt bad for having had made the younger uncomfortable with his advances.

“I am sorry,” he whispered. Jackson turned to look at him, almost breathless at how good Mark looked in the warm light of the candle. “You have given me a lot of sleepless nights and…and it’s just hard to control…” he finished and Jackson felt his face heat up.

“It’s my fault for…for being a little too provocative? I must accept, it was really fun to see your eye twitch or breathing hitch,” Jackson giggled.

“Wasn’t one bit funny for me,” Mark rubbed his face because wow, Jackson had literally seen him suffer when he had thought he had been good at hiding it.

They sat in silence for a while until Jackson got up to make them some tea because it was getting increasing cold.

After a minute of watching Jackson in the kitchen make tea, Mark just couldn’t sit tight. He got up and headed to the kitchen. He was right behind Jackson, breathing on his nape. The younger froze.

“Mark…”

“Can I just…a little…I don’t know…may be just…” he fisted Jackson’s shirt over his waist, making the boy shudder. The tip of his nose rubbed lightly against the younger’s nape.

“Mark…” the boy whispered and grabbed at the platform tightly.

The elder darted out his tongue and licked right below his earlobe. Jackson was a mess, losing his mind at the sensation and whimpering immediately. Mark nuzzled in his hair before letting out a chuckle.

“Revenge for having fun at my expense,” he whispered and walked away, leaving Jackson short of breath and shaken.

After gathering himself, Jackson had made the tea and brought steaming mugs to the living room where Mark was lodged comfortably on a chair. Jackson sat on the couch and side eyed the elder. He looked tired but excitedly sipped at the tea and sighed contentedly as the warmth slowly engulfed his body.

“Since when have Jinyoung and Jaebeom…”

“Three months…Jaebeom is gay as shit…there was even a time when he…” Mark chuckled at the memory of Jaebeom cornering him in their kitchen. Mark had laughed in his face because, no, he hadn’t felt anything for Jaebeom then. Also, he hadn’t missed the heart eyes Jinyoung threw the boy. He hated complications so he hadn’t responded to the boy’s advances.

Jackson frowned at that and banged his mug on the table.

“I wanna kick his ass. It’s like he’s never satisfied with what he has…”

“No…he didn’t know about Jinyoung at the time. He was just horny, I guess,” Mark laughed outright but Jackson’s face had only soured further.

“What’s wrong?”

Jackson had a pout in place at the question and Mark had to show extreme self-control to not try and jump him again.

“Hey, what did I say to make you upset?” Mark asked sweetly and tapped at the younger’s knee affectionately.

“Why was he after you if he was horny?” Jackson spat and bit his lip.

Mark thought about it for a bit. Had he ever given Jaebeom a vibe? He didn’t know. It was months ago and he had forgotten about it totally.

“May be because I was the only person available to him at the time? He’s pathetic about going out like a normal person and getting a date, really,” Mark shrugged.

Jackson’s pout had not vanished. Mark very much wanted to make it go away with some quick kisses or a swipe of his thumb.

“Thank god for Jinyoung then,” Jackson clicked his tongue. “I wouldn’t want Jaebeom to lust after you anyway,” he mumbled and Mark smiled.

“Why?”

“I don’t know…looks like Jinyoungie is in deep for him,” Jackson laughed.

“Also because I am not interested in him. I only ever have eyes for you since past few months…was I brain dead when I first met you?”

Jackson blushed at that. It looked even more endearing in the candlelight. He bit his lip and rubbed at his face to make it go away. Mark’s heart clenched.

“That was because we never got along…”

“Yeah. You could never just shut up for one second,” Mark whispered. He stared at the boy in earnest, taking in his face, his fluffy hair and his extremely adorable disposition. “You don’t know how good you look right now, I am on a tether,” he gulped and looked away.

Jackson moved in his spot for a second before getting up, picking up the mugs and running to the kitchen. Mark was royally screwed. He was sure he would have to sleep with a hard-on in the house of the person who gave it to him. He sighed internally and cursed himself for thinking about crashing with Jackson. He thought he could actually break the boy with his proximity but that didn’t seem to work.

In about ten minutes from then, the power had returned, the heater had kicked in. They both sat silently in the living room, not saying much. Mark’s phone had just charged over 4% when it rang and broke the silence.

“Hey…” Mark started off with a smile and Jackson zeroed in on his face. Mark was biting his lip and closing his eyes now and then. It was pissing him off for no reason.

“Really? I am sure you do. I would have loved to…but…well, I am not at home tonight…” he whispered and caught Jackson staring at him. “I am with someone at the moment…” he smiled a small smile at Jackson which the boy didn’t return. “Sure. Next weekend it is,” he finished and hung up.

“Booty call?” Jackson asked flatly and Mark was taken by surprise. After a bit, he nodded and Jackson got up abruptly.

“We should sleep now, I am tired. I will get you blankets and stuff,” he stormed towards his bedroom and Mark couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at his behaviour.

Jackson came back with pillows, a blanket and a change of clothes and dumped it on the couch.

“Good night,” he said, barely waiting for a response. Mark was shocked to say the least but he too was tired.

Just when Mark had gotten comfortable on the couch, the power went out again and Jackson screamed.

Mark scrambled hurriedly and with the help of his phone rushed into Jackson’s room.

Jackson had sprinted out of the bed and immediately flung himself into Mark’s arms, making him lose balance and drop his phone.

“Jesus, it’s just a power cut, I am here,” Mark patted his back as he led the boy to the bed again. “What would you do if the power was out and nobody was home?”

“Call Jinyoung or mom, I don’t know! Don’t ask me scary questions right now, God,” he pulled Mark to sit beside him and hugged him from the side.

“Are you doing this to make fun of me?” Mark asked as he shifted beside Jackson, totally held tightly by the younger.

“I am scared, okay? Can you not be doubtful right now? Fuck, the power has to keep going out,” he whined and Mark just gave up.

They sat in silence and Mark cursed his luck. Jackson was right beside him, soft and warm, clinging to him while breathing on his arm. More so, wearing Jackson’s clothes made him feel like he was just not going to hold on much longer.

“Have you ever been with a boy before?” the younger asked in a small voice.

Mark went silent. He didn’t know how to answer the boy.

“Well…I have.”

Jackson’s grip tightened around him and made a noise that Mark didn’t understand.

“R-really?”

“Yes. Sometime in high-school…” Mark said softly.

“Who was it on the phone? Was it a guy?” Jackson whispered.

“Yeah…but…I haven’t been with him…not yet…he’s just someone I know from my old job…we talk now and then…” Jackson made that noise again and Mark just tried to zero in on his face. The dim light of his phone wasn’t doing much for him.

“I…I don’t want…don’t want you to…” Jackson spoke against Mark’s arm and the touch gave Mark goose bumps. “Mark…don’t be…with someone…else, please,” he whimpered. Mark couldn’t believe his ears and abruptly turned to look at Jackson.

“What?”

“Don’t be with someone else,” he completed and took a deep breath.

Mark didn’t understand what to make of it. He stared at Jackson, trying really had to make sense of such behaviour.

“But…I don’t understand. Why are you saying this?”

“Can you just…” Jackson made a distressed noise again before moving away. “I don’t know. Give me time to answer that. Just don’t…don’t go around answering booty calls, okay?” he mumbled.

Mark stared at Jackson. His face was serious and his jaw clenched, it was easy to see it even in the dim light. He didn’t know what to make of anything that was happening between them, but if Jackson was asking for something from him, he was going to give it to him.

“Okay…I won’t. I am not usually answering booty calls. Is that what you think about me?” Mark asked svulnerably, apprehensively touching Jackson’s elbow.

Jackson breathed out and cleared his throat.

“No. You are so nice to everyone, you are gentle and sweet. I started noticing it more lately. I thought you were just lusting after me but you do so many things for everyone around you. You take care of Jaebeom, you work over time so that Jake can take a day off, you bring Mrs McGrath her favourite chicken soup when she’s not well, you drop me and Jinyoungie home even when it’s out of your way…you are sweet. You don’t even expect shit from us, Mark. And the best part- you are always there. You are always there for everyone.” Jackson rubbed his nose against the elder’s shoulder and cleared his throat again.

Mark was red in the face. It was a blessing Jackson couldn’t see him like that.

“T-thanks? Umm…nobody’s said stuff like that to me…ever…” Mark whispered and Jackson hugged him even closer.

“Aw. I will say more if you want, Mark,” he said softly. Just then the power returned. The soft light of the bedside lamp illuminated the room and Jackson moved away, too shy to keep hugging the elder now that they could see each other’s faces clearly.

“Jackson? I am really freaking out…are you doing this to tease me?” Mark asked softly and Jackson shot his head up.

“Does my face look like I am joking?”

Mark looked at Jackson and bit his lip, excitement again pooling in his stomach.

“No…it looks pretty red and…shy? Are you shy? Can I touch your cheeks? So red,” Mark pointed at his cheeks and boy groaned, making the elder chuckle.

Jackson shook his fondly. They were tired and Mark couldn’t handle the gooey feelings that were taking over his heart.

“We should sleep.” Jackson looked at him with wide eyes and he laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. “No, I mean, you sleep in here and I will sleep out there…don’t worry,” Mark smiled and looked away before he made a mess of himself.

Jackson cleared his throat and nodded. “Goodnight,” he said softly and Mark got up to leave.

**

They both hadn’t slept well. Mark didn’t know if it was because of what Jackson had said or because he was too tired to sleep. Jackson had turned sides all night, a weird, bubbly feeling in his stomach keeping him from sleeping. Was he doing the right thing by plunging into this without thinking much? Well, it’s not like he hadn’t thought about it at all but even so, he wasn’t very adventurous when it came to relationships. He took his time when he found someone he liked. He was the type to slowly explore the person and the relationship. He liked to enjoy the little things. So far, he had only ever been with girls. But ever since he had taken this job, he hardly had any time to go out or date. His last girlfriend had broken up with him for good when he had failed to see her for three weeks straight.

Mark was never a romantic interest for him, not until he saw how disgustingly sweet Jinyoung was with Jaebeom. It was definitely different to be with a guy. It was more relaxed and fun? It was wrong to judge relationships like that, he knew, but whenever he saw Jinyoung being happier than he was before, he felt like it really was easier to be with a guy. He had seen their relationship morph in front of his eyes. From furtive glances to stolen touches, Jinyoung and Jaebeom had blossomed from just crushes to lovers. They were happy with each other, their shitty jobs doing little to diminish the wild, unadulterated bliss that they experienced in each other’s company. Even their professional life had improved since they gave their very best at their jobs. Jackson thought love was supposed to empower you like that and it was high time he wanted to experience something that amazing.

Mark was quiet, too quiet for any normal person. However, he spoke when it was truly necessary, making his words precious and respect worthy. He wasn’t the kind to just say something to someone for the sake of it. He put deep thought into saying and doing things. It was really ideal in a work environment when their unit was put to test every other day by new kinds of problems. Jackson was sure Mark would soon be promoted to Unit Manager because of how talented he was. He was pretty neat when it came to his job, he was smart and polite, easy going and really reliable. In short, he was the kind of guy who wouldn’t hurt a fly unless it was absolutely necessary. But this was only one side of the guy.

Past few months, Jackson had noticed him be a really…well…a really blush-inducing kind of a person. He would stare him down, sneakily but properly every chance he got. There was something about the way he looked at him that gave Jackson a thrill, an electrifying chill down his spine. He would leave him pondering about why Mark thought he was worth looking at. Jinyoung always told him that he was more than average when it came to looks, handsome even, but Jackson never believed him. However, Mark’s eyes on him made him feel good, confident and _sexy_ in his own skin. It was like he wanted Mark to look at him, stare at him in earnest and appreciate him with his glint-filled eyes. It was almost like feeling _worshipped_. Even with all this, Mark never made a move on him, not until tonight. He knew he was up to something when he suddenly asked to crash at his place. However, the prospect of spending time with the elder, alone, in the comfort of his apartment was too lucrative an offer to decline.

He, indeed, liked Mark. There was nothing about Mark that he found problematic, in fact, it only made his heart clench. Mark and Jaebeom had recently moved in together, a few weeks before Jinyoung and Jaebeom had started dating. Before that Mark used to live in a shady neighbourhood alone. Of course, he did it to save on the rent money but quite a few times he would show up at work with a gash or two on his face. When questioned, he would always share incidents like how he had to fight people trying to steal his tires, break into his house from the backdoor or rob him while on his way to work. That’s why Mark would remain at the office for as long as he could. Jackson would feel bad for him then. Mark rarely had much to eat, almost forgetting about his meals while at work. Many a times, Jinyoung would share his food with the man but he would eat only a bite or two, too worried about hogging Jinyoung’s lunch. Jackson saw it all, even when Mark thought he didn’t. But, his sub-par living conditions never stopped him from helping others. He would always stay back late for a colleague, take over their shifts to help them, care for the elderly staff at the unit by dropping them home, reminding them of their medication.

Mark was just too kind for his own good and Jackson’s heart couldn’t stop itself from getting involved. May be Jackson was going too deep and Mark was just doing what he did because he could but even so, Mark was someone he wanted to keep close. The thought of having someone like Mark with him for a long time made him feel happy and content. It made him go into a slumber with a dumb smile on his face.

**

Since they had punched in extra hours throughout the week, they were allowed to take a day off. They had delivered enough for their manager to not chop their heads off. Just imagining a weekday off was like getting a big bonus for the four of them. Jackson could only imagine how much Jinyoung and Jaebeom were appreciating it.

It was a little over 8 when Jackson got up. With only a few hours of sleep, his eyes hurt a bit and his body complained but just the thought of seeing Mark first thing in the morning was enough to get him out of bed.

He tiptoed into the living room to find the guy cuddled up on the couch in the blanket, his dark brown tresses nicely contrasting against the white of his couch. It warmed his heart to look at the boy sleep peacefully like that.

He went back to take a shower and brush his teeth. He thought of making the boy a nice, heavy breakfast, put some food in his damn stomach for good. When he came back out, he chuckled at the boy rubbing at his face, sporting a bed head so appalling that he wanted to go tame it immediately.

“Good morning,” he chimed and Mark opened his eyes properly.

“Mornin,” he rasped and Jackson tried very hard to not to be affected by it. “What time is it?”

“9.”

“Why am I up this early?” he whined and Jackson chuckled once again as he set a pan over the stove to make some eggs.

“How do you like your eggs?” Jackson didn’t think much when he said it but when he realized it, he froze. He turned to look back at Mark and found him smiling goofily.

“Sunny side up or scrambled,” Mark replied and winked. Jackson smiled at him shyly and started preparing breakfast.

Mark went in for a shower but didn’t have any change of clothes so he just walked into the kitchen wearing a towel around his waist. Jackson _had_ to squeak.

“Sorry! Umm…could you lend me some clothes…sorry,” Mark yelled and rushed towards the bedroom and hid behind the door.

Jackson calmed down a bit and then spluttered an ‘I am coming in!’ before marching in. He was sure the tip of his ears were red by this point. He grabbed whatever shirt and pants that he could, put them on the bed and rushed out.

After the awkwardness had subsided, they had breakfast silently, stealing glances. Jackson felt like his face was on fire. Mark looked so boyish in a black t-shirt and shorts that he just couldn’t stop smiling. Mark, on the other hand, was so glad to have a good, hot breakfast that he couldn’t stop moaning.

It was a little after noon that Mark finally felt like he was imposing on Jackson so he called Jaebeom.

“I am coming home. You are warned. Do not scar me for life…” he mocked and Jaebeom whined. He requested Mark to stay back till the evening but Mark wasn’t having it.

“Yah! I don’t have clothes to wear and I don’t wanna impose on Jackson! Can’t you take Jinyoung out or something?” he whined back and Jaebeom went silent. Mark almost felt bad for the boy.

“Fineee. No need to pout. I will go to the mall or something. I will be home by 5. Is that okay?” Jaebeom was ecstatic when Mark proposed that. “Yeah right. Bye then,” Mark hung up before Jaebeom could make embarrassing kissey noises on the phone.

“What did Jaebeom say?” Jackson had returned with some groceries from the store down the street.

“Umm…nothing. He’s gonna need some more time.” Mark scratched the back of his neck and sighed. “I think I will go to the mall or something.”

“Why? Do you want to buy something?”

Mark looked at the boy. He was busy arranging stuff in the fridge. He had bent over, his ass perched up in the air. Mark felt himself choke a bit before looking away.

“Mark?” he turned around and found the elder’s face red and eyes a bit dopey. “Hey! What are you thinking about?” he called out again and Mark snapped his head in his direction.

“N-nothing! Nothing at all. What were you saying?” he gulped and looked into Jackson’s big eyes. They stared at each other for a moment too long and Jackson cleared his throat, breaking the moment.

“Why are you going to the mall? Do you want to buy something?”

“Oh. No. I don’t know. I will just hang out there. I don’t wanna impose on you…I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he finished, last night’s happenings quickly flashing in front of his eyes.

“What! No. You can stay here. Leave when Jinyoung shows up. That moron,” Jackson swore under his breath but Mark couldn’t miss the fondness that Jackson’s eyes showed. It was adorable. “He’s always, always, always making a mess of our plans, you know! He was supposed to clean this shithole with me but he is always tired every weekend. I can imagine why-” he stopped mid-sentence and looked at Mark in alarm. His face quickly flushed and he looked away.

A few beats passed in silence until they both broke into silent chuckles.

“You think they slept at all?” Mark asked between bursts of laughter.

“No! You think Jaebeom would let him? I bet they were at it like bunnies all night so they cannot get up right now! Ugh…” Jackson chuckled.

“Where do you think they go on weekends?”

“Motels? I am sure they know every one of them now,” Jackson resumed setting the things in the kitchen.

“I would never-” Mark stopped short and cleared his throat. “Motel sheets smell funny,” he mumbled before Jackson stared at him for a second and looked away.

They spent the entire afternoon together. Mark didn’t end up going to the mall, instead helped Jackson clean the apartment a bit, cooked lunch with him. It was really great to spend time with Jackson like that.

They lazed on the couch watching a random movie and that’s when Mark’s phone rang. He looked at the caller and bit his lip and without thinking much rejected the call. Jackson turned to look at him and then at his phone, realization dawning on his face. He smiled, eyes crinkling adorably and Mark felt amazing for being the reason behind that smile.

**

Things were casual between the two, work mostly keeping them occupied, so much that they didn’t have the time or the energy to talk to each other out of work. They had gone back to being in the zone that they had started with. It was like that night had never happened.

“Mark, can you help me with this presentation?”

Mark looked up to find Jackson, a bunch of files in his hand and a look of absolute panic on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think I messed up the figures. Fuck, I have to go to China this week. I think we have to tally everything again. Please,” he begged and Mark’s heart clenched.

“Sure, sure. Come on.”

They headed to the conference room and Mark outright laughed when Jackson nervously dropped the files.

“Relax, you still have two days,” he whispered and Jackson sighed.

They started working, tallying the stats one file after other and making the presentation. When Jackson squinted his eyes while looking at the screen and moved in a bit closer to the table, Mark stared at his side face. He didn’t know or understand how someone could have this perfect a profile. He gulped because wow, Jackson was really something. He had stopped typing and talking so Jackson turned to look at him. It had been days that they had even interacted on a personal level so Jackson was surprised to find Mark staring at him like that.

“Mark?” he whispered but to no avail.

Mark’s throat was dry as he saw Jackson’s lips move. His clear skin, pink lips and big eyes were already doing a number on his heart. He felt his stomach flip and his fingers twitch because of how attractive the boy looked even at the end of the work day.

“Hey…” Jackson complained when Mark didn’t stop. Jackson face flamed at the attention and Mark’s dazed gaze. “MARK!” he finally got the elder’s attention by kicking his shin.

“Awwwww,” the elder whined and grimaced. “Mean!”

“Stop staring, help me please.” He mumbled and Mark smiled slyly.

They resumed work and soon Jinyoung and Jaebeom joined them too. It was already a little over 6 so they ordered food and took a little break. They talked about mundane things and laughed. Jaebeom had his arm around Jinyoung and the younger reeled against him, smiling happily. It triggered something in Mark and he looked at Jackson again, his heart beating really fast at the thought of being able to hold Jackson close like that…being the person who makes him smile.

“Mark?” Jaebeom called on him and he came back to himself.

“Yeah?”

“I am getting the food from downstairs. Can you just call boss and tell him we are gonna be here for a bit more? I don’t want security to shut down the systems.”

Mark nodded distractedly and got his phone out. Jinyoung immediately got up to join Jaebeom. After Mark was done with his phone call, he looked at Jackson. The boy was busy staring at the screen, typing away things with a frown on his face. Jackson needed to seriously give his heart a break.

“What are you doing?”

“Umm, just making some small changes. I don’t want to mess the presentation up.”

Mark stared at him. The frown had grown deeper, the anxiety and the fear of messing up had made him puff his cheeks and his eyes had become a bit droopy staring at the screen.

“Mark, it says it cannot save, it says it cannot SAVE, IT CANNOT SAVE? What does it mean it cannot save? What is happening, oh my God,” he was freaking out and Mark was frozen in time at the all the expressions his face was showing. How could a human be this radiantly expressive?

“MARK! Stop looking at me like that and HELP ME! FUCK! IM GOING MAD HERE!” he yelled and Mark scrambled towards him.

“Don’t worry, I uploaded a copy over the other hard drive. I guess there is some issue with this one,” he quickly took care of it and Jackson sighed.

“Relax, will you? You are acting like you are doing a presentation for the first time!”

“I am not! But, it counts for the appraisal. You know that! I am scared. What if I drift from the main point, I tend to do that. Mark, I am scared,” he looked at Mark with his big eyes, worry oozing so easily out of them that Mark just wanted to hold him.

“What if I keep talking and talking and talking and I cannot stop? OH MY GOD! I do that when I am nervous. Jinyoung’s always with me for these presentations. He controls me with his glare but this time…I am going to be alone,” he spoke fast and Mark couldn’t help but feel warmth pool in his chest. Jackson was so human in his flaws. He oozed so much confidence otherwise but when it really came down to controlling his mouth, he knew he was no good. He was really so generous about everything he did. His words were always sweet, funny or comforting. He was always cheerful and happy, spreading his happiness around with jokes and jabs at Jaebeom’s expense. And now he was worried if he could be professional.

“If you think you cannot stop talking, think of…think of something that makes you really speechless…I don’t know…some memory or person or a place…anything…” Mark said softly, looking at how the gears in Jackson’s head were turning. He saw the boy’s face flush. Their eyes met and Jackson shied away. Was Jackson thinking about that night? The night when Mark had lamely confessed and they had had a little something going on?

Mark instinctively moved closer and breathed on Jackson’s face. The younger immediately closed his eyes and breathed through his mouth.

“Think about me, may be? Of this exact moment,” Mark quickly pecked his cheek gently and moved away.

Jackson opened his eyes immediately and stared at Mark with wide eyes before looking away.

“Will you?” Mark whispered and Jackson turned his head further away. The silence stretched as Mark continued looking at Jackson’s face fondly, the red of Jackson’s cheeks making his heart weaker by the moment.

Jackson could feel the stare and his stomach flipped at the scrutiny. He could still feel Mark’s lips on his cheek. Even if it had been a gentle touch, it had done a million things to his heart. He had never experienced this kind of attention before. It was exciting and really different. It was so endearing and patient but exhilarating and spontaneous at the same time.

“Stop looking at me.” He managed to say but Mark hadn’t moved an inch from his spot. He could still feel eyes on him so he finally looked at the elder.

“Look away,” he insisted but Mark shook his head. “Ugh, stop it. Look away,” Jackson put his palms forward to block Mark’s gaze.

“Nope.” Mark evaded Jackson and continued staring in his direction. He loved the effect he was having on the younger.

“Mark, please. Can you please not do this?”

“Whyyyy?”

“It’s…it’s…I don’t know…just-”

“But you look so good…I can’t help it,” Mark whined and sighed. “Stop looking good and I will stop staring.”

“You are impossible.”

“Do you mean, I am improbable?”

“Shut up.”

“Move your hands away, will you?” the elder pushed the younger’s hands away and chuckled. “Shy shy shy,” he mumbled and Jackson threw a paper ball right at Mark’s face.

“You are disgusting,” the younger complained.

“Will you think about me while in China?” Mark asked desperately and Jackson stilled. There was a stiff silence between them before Jackson gave a small nod.

Mark threw his fist in the air and yelled a yes. Jackson jerked in his seat at the noise and shushed him.

“Just stay quiet. God!”

“I will do whatever you say.”

“Stop talking then,” Jackson covered his face and groaned.

“Food’s here,” Jaebeom announced as he entered with Jinyoung in toe. Jackson quickly uncovered his face and consciously avoided Mark’s eyes.

They started eating happily, stuffing their faces. When Jackson finally managed to look Mark’s way, the elder winked slyly and Jackson couldn’t stop smiling. May be he was ready for this after all.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
